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I’ve loved spending the last few Throwback Thursdays with y’all reliving our October wedding. Adam and I can’t get over the response we’ve recieved from friends and followers. We’re overjoyed with how much y’all have enjoyed our story.

We’ve shared just how personalized our day was, but we wanted to use this Throwback Thursday for those that are planning- maybe give you a new idea or inspiration from all the little details we had to make our wedding ours.

Before the ceremony, we welcomed guests with our wedding book and a photo of us from when Adam proposed on Christmas Eve on top an old whiskey barrel table Adam’s dad made for us. One of my dear family friends and one of my Small Group girls with an over the top bubbly personality, greeted our friends and family.

We asked that our friends and family not pick a side to sit on as most of the guest were from the Peachtree City area. Big thanks to whoever ended up doing all the chalk writing!

“As Two families become one, please pick a seat not a side.”

The boys waited for us at our hand-made rustic alter. An antique window hung about bushels of hay covered with baskets of fall flowers. While the ladies of our Bridal Party, my Dad and I walked under our rustic entrance made of antique doors and burlap. (Big thanks to all my “dads” for helping to secure the alter and entrance. We had a beautiful and windy October evening wedding.)

The isle was lined with tin buckets decorated with burlap, lace and pearls by my Aunt Tina and Friends filled with big bunches of Baby’s Breath.

After we said “I do,” guests relaxed in simple seatting areas and played Corn-hole on our Michigan and ZTA custom made sets while the Bridal Party took photos. (Thanks Ryan, Mie, Melissa and Ashley! We LOVE them!) Guests snacked on Southern Chick-fil-A Biscuits with all the fixins’ of an assortment of jellies, meats and cheeses. (Didn’t my “Moms” make the spread look darling?)

Our guests drank out of handled Mason Jar Mugs with a chalk stripe to help them keep track of their drinks. Lights lined wooden ladders where the mugs sat for guests to use.

Adam made two bars for our reception, both made out of pallet wood with galvanized metal tops. He installed two keg taps on the “large” bar and just served wine and cocktails on the smaller bar.

This photo was taken post celebration. Sorry! It’s all we have as our photographer sadly didn’t get all the photos we wanted.

We served Texas BBQ from our local Peachtree City Dickie’s BBQ- it was so delicious and they were fantastic to work with. We used barrels of hay and antique doors as tables to place the food on. One of my lovely “Moms” chalked on old window panes the menu for the evening. Silverware was wrapped together (thank you Dickies) with navy napkins and placed in a metal basket at the end of the table. We made “stripy things” using various laces, tulle, burlap and white Christmas lights to serve as a backdrop for the food tables. Thanks to all the “Moms” that helped make our day so special! The “Stripy things” looked great in the hanger when the sun set.

We used matching beverage servers for Tea and Water that sat ontop of another table Adam made using pallet wood.

Adam and I sat at a Sweet heart table draped with a burlap table cloth. Behind us was the backdrop of Wedding Cake sitting ontop of an old whiskey barrel between two Antique doors. Each door hung a sign for the “Bride” and “Groom.” We had a personalized pillows at our seats- “Hey Y’all” and “Michigan” and drank out of “Mr.” and “Mrs.” Mason Jar Mugs all night.

Darin, Adam’s Best Man; My Aunt Tina and Maid of Honor and My dad all toasted to Adam and I. We clanked glasses with personalized champagne flutes from our dear family friends, The Stewart Family.

One very special part of our day, was a simple little table, remembering our Grandparents. Both our Mom’s parents are no longer with us. Our Wedding Day would have been a day they would have loved to be a part of. I don’t know about Adam’s grandparents, but mine would have been on the dance floor with a beverage in hand! Adam and I wanted a simple and special way to remember them at our day. Adam’s Mom made a burlap and lace table runner and wrote on an antique mirror to go alongside their wedding pictures.

“We know you would have been here today, if Heaven wasn’t so far away.”

We shared all about our delicious Cherry On Top Delights cakes in our previous Wedding posts, but of course we would have a Groom’s Cake to look like Michigan’s “Big House.” We shared our wedding day with my brother’s birthday and made a point to have the band help sing him happy birthday.

Adam and I waved “goodbye” to all of our friends and family from the helicopter as we headed towards Atlanta for the night. We asked each of our guests to take a Jar of Jelly as their gift.

Our day, like yours, was uniquely ours and perfect. Every little detail was “us.” We cheered on The Frogs and sang to the Maze and Blue. We sipped out of Mason Jars and danced the night away. It was perfect and both Adam and I have loved sharing our moment with y’all.

Tell us about your day. What little details did you have at your wedding to make it “you?” Share your stories with us.

We hope you are enjoying your Newly Newlywed or Nearly Newlywed moments as much as we are.

Remember our post a few weeks ago about Adam’s Surprise 30th Birthday Party? Well as promised, I have a few of our favorite appetizer recipes to share! These “dips” have been a hit with our friends and family and I’m sure will be at your next gathering as well!

Southwestern Corn Dip is a super easy, tasty, warm dip I got from my Mom. It is best served with Tositio Scoops.

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can yellow corn kernels

1 2 1/4-ounce can sliced black olives

1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies

1 medium fresh jalapeño pepper (for about 2 tablespoons chopped)

2 jarred roasted red peppers, optional

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Colby- Jack cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

Cooking oil spray

Tortilla chips, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Drain the corn, olives, and green chilies. (You can pour them all into the same colander to drain.) Place the drained vegetables in a medium-size mixing bowl.

Cut the jalapeno pepper in half, and remove the ribs and seeds. Finely chop the pepper, and add it to the bowl. If using the roasted peppers, finely dice them and add them to the bowl. Add both cheeses and the mayonnaise. Stir well.

Spray a 2-quart baking dish lightly with cooking oil spray. Place the dip into the dish, and smooth the top. Bake until the top is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm with tortilla chips.

The Great State of Texas Caviar is one of Adam’s all time favorite snacks. He was introduced to it from a coworker and is also best served with Tostito Scoops. It is the healthiest appetizer out of the 3.

Serve with chips.

(Note* Of course I had to add in “GREAT State” to the Texas Caviar name.)

To make the dressing, stir the rice vinegar, olive oil, sugar, and garlic powder together in a pan. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, and cool. Pour dressing over bean mixture, and toss to mix evenly.

I prefer to let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for a few hours prior to serving. It is much better as it sits, but is not necessary.

Serve with chips.

The Pig Skin Cheese Ball is oh-so-yummy! I mean tell me something that isn’t good that has bacon in it’s name? My Aunt Tina gave me this recipe and it’s a huge hit for the guys! A cheese ball smothered in bacon and served with Ritz Crackers….in the wording of Rachael Ray “yum-o!”

Preheat oven to 400* Lay bacon in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake in oven 15-20 minutes until crispy. Drain bacon on paper towel and let cool. Reserve 2 tbsp of bacon grease. Once bacon has cooled, coarsely chop and set aside.

Cook the jalapeño in the reserved bacon grease over medium heat, until soft. Using a stand mixer (I have a Kitchen-aid) mix together 1 cup of chopped bacon, sautéed jalapeño, cream cheese, 1 cup of shredded cheese and the scallions until well combined. Form mixture into a ball and cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Before serving, form ball into an oblong football shape and roll in the remaining chopped bacon to coat. Decorate the top of the football cheese ball with the remaining cheddar to resemble laces.

Serve with crackers.

I don’t know about you, but I sure am hungry now! Do you have a favorite party recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Can’t wait to start planning my next gathering- a Stella&Dot Trunk Show! Love girls nights and jewelry!

We hope you’re enjoying your Newly Newlywed or Nearly Newlywed moments as much as we are!

Last Monday we celebrated Adam’s 30th Birthday (yes, again) when I surprised him with a little weekday gathering!

My @Helihubby is one of the hardest, if not thehardest person to surprise! He knows every gift before opening it and can catch on to any planned surprise. How he didn’t figure out this party, I will never know!

I invited a few of our closest friends and local family over for an intimate Monday Night Party. Appetizers were out for our guests to snack on before the birthday boy arrived- Southwestern Corn Dip, The Great State of Texas Caviar, and a Pig Skin Cheese Ball all served with chips or crackers. {Don’t worry- I will share these recipes soon too!} Our friends Josh and Kristy came over early to help me with last minute details and Josh manned the grill- Burgers and Hotdogs with all the fixxins’ for supper! Nothing says a Summer Backyard BBQ than burgers and hotdogs with Root-beer Baked Beans and coleslaw alongside!

Our cute little house is decked out in 4th Of July-Americana Decor, so I did not add too many decorations for this party. {Needless to say I really didn’t have the time to do it either!} Black plates, napkins and silverware for all. I filled various sizes of mason jars with lollipops, jelly beans and bubble gum. With chalk spray paint, I covered the lids of the jars and once dry wrote “30 Sucks” to the jar with lollipops, “30 Blows” to the jar with bubble gum and “30 Bites” to the jar with jelly beans.

A simple, cute centerpiece for our dinning room table.

The best part of the night….THE CAKE! Another amazing creation from Hailey Monette and Cherry On Top Delights! Hailey made a delicious 2 tier Vanilla Cake with chocolate icing between the layers. It was covered in a yummy buttercream frosting and wrapped in fondant to look like a Corvette tire. It could not have been any better- just perfect! Our guests and the man of the hour loved, loved, loved the cake!

Are you like me? Do you like to clean house before leaving for vacation?

I think it is “a thing” I learned from my mom. Thinking back to living at home we always had to pick up and clean the house before we left for a trip. There is nothing like coming home to a clean house.

Dishwasher loaded and ran √

Upstairs/Downstairs dusted √

Bathrooms cleaned √

Clothes washed √

Bed made √

Kitchen cleaned √

Adam and I have a gas stove with a glass/ceramic cook top. I hate when water boils out of the pot or grease splatters while we are cooking. There always seems to be something stuck in the creavese of the cooking surface- a horrible mess that is so difficult to remove. I have tried product after product, scrubbing and scrubbing to remove the “gunk” and not much of a difference was made…..until I came across this little beauty at HomeGoods.

Shake. Pour a little of the concoction on the dirty area and scrub. I used a Scotch Brite No Scratching Heavy Duty Sponge, but with a little scrubbing and not much effort on my part our cooktop surface was spick and span! I highly recommend giving it a try if you have trouble getting your cooktop area to look brand new too!

Hope you’re enjoying your Newly Newlywed or Nearly Newlywed Moments as much as we are!

Yay for new blog ideas! Adam and I love sharing our Newly Newlywed World with y’all and thought….why not share some of our Favorite Things on Fridays? (Thank you KLG&Hoda for that swell idea!) Easter is in two days and I am so proud of our decorations! We have friends that come over and say “Really? You would have Easter decorations!” While most of our decor is store bought, I have had a few crafty “Pinterest- Inspired” Moments. I love lantern trend. Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs, and Micheals all seem to be on the bandwagon, but you can only look at a lantern filled with candles for so long. To make an Easter inspired look- grab a little Easter Grass, a few plastic eggs, a candle, bunny, or like me a cute Easter Sign, fill up your lantern and bam! A unique mantel decoration that no one else will have.

On top of our dining room table I placed an “Easter Egg” table runner- can’t quite remember where it came from. The center piece of the table is the Southern Living at Home Circle Tray topped with a Carrot Tree I recently got from Zulily- my favorite shopping app! Our table is ready for our Friends are Family Easter Sunday Funday!

If you check out my Pinterest Board you’ll find where the inspiration for this coffee table center piece came from. My absolute, most favorite decoration we have for Easter. Its so easy to make too! I used a Hurricane from Southern Living at Home, but any large clear container will work. You can add more/less to make it your own.

To make: Layer the bottom with Easter Grass. Then place a small, clear glass in the middle. Surround the glass with colored Jelly Beans. Next, place Easter Peeps on top of the jelly beans so that the glass could not be seen. Finally fill the glass with water and cut the flowers to height. Easy-peasy lemon squeezey! We’re loving these Easter inspired Friday Favorites! We’d love to see your creations too!

Saturday, October 18th was a picture perfect day. There was a slight chill in the air and clear blue skies.

The girls got ready at a family friends house. Cute Anna Dobbs made us look beautiful with her make-up skills. Hair Stylist and family friend, Cherri King did my hair while the girls used some of their favorite local stylists. We hung out, watched football, shared stories with Michelle, a wedding story writer that was there to capture our day, snacked on Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuits, and sipped on Mimosas.

While we got ready for the BIG DAY, the guys helped Melissa and crew finish setting up the Hanger and got ready. Adam and I decided not to talk to each other or see each other prior to our ceremony, so I had no idea all that went on, before I walked down the isle. Instead of having a Unity Candle at our Ceremony, Adam and I chose to make a 1 Year Anniversary Box. We each wrote a letter to the other and sealed the box with a special bottle of wine. On our first anniversary we plan to share the wine, read the letters and remember all the memories and emotions we felt on our wedding day. Little did I know, giving Adam the duty to find the box for our ceremony meant sending our entire Bridal Party on a scavenger hunt throughout Peachtree City. Somehow the guys ended their hunt at Taco Mac to take in a little liquid courage before Adam had to say “I Do.”

The wind was wild on our Wedding Day. I didn’t know at the time, but family friends were running to Home Depot to buy bags of sand to hold down our Alter and were tying down decorations.

Other than the wind, everything was perfect. We could not have asked for better timing for our ceremony, the Sunset was stunning. Our Bridal Party looked great. Dad and I kept it together as I walked down the isle to, “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. I was so nervous about crying. The only thing I remember about that 2 minute walk was just watching Adam. He started to cry and I knew, if I looked away from him, saw our family and friends, I too would cry. {I’m not the most emotional girl, but I’m tearing up as I write our story.}

Adam and I both did out best to keep it together and not cry! We did more of the awkward, nervous laugh apparently! I don’t remember a thing from those few short moments, but Pastor, Chris Patton, from North Point Ministries, keep us together and on track. We said traditional vows and with our “I Do’s” we were husband and wife!

We served Dicky’s BBQ (which is AMAZING by the way. Tasted great and they were the easiest vendor to work with! Call your local location rather than contacting corporate.) We said cheers to toasts from my Dad, Aunt Tina and the Best Man, Darin. Adam and his mom did their Mother/Son Dance and Dad and I followed with a dance to a collection of songs from the Twist to Gingham Style!

Hailey Monette, from Cherry on Top Delights, designed both our traditional Wedding Cake and Michigan Stadium Groom’s Cake. (Hailey is amazing. Makes the most creative, tastiest treats and delivers!) We danced the night away to tunes from the Band, The Remedies– best choice we could have made. {Yes Adam, I admit it…it was a good idea.} If you are considering getting a band- do it! Our Band is from Nashville and will travel, they are awesome!

For those that don’t know, I have always wanted a fall wedding. October in Georgia is beautiful, but smack in the middle of College Football Season! We chose our day, October 18th, Michigan Football’s bye week. Although we were in the clear on the football schedule, we share our day with my brother, Joey’s birthday. We had a special cake made for him and had the band sing “Happy Birthday!” Thanks Joey for sharing YOUR day with us!

My ZTA Sorority sisters sang {a little off pitch} our special ZTA Wedding Song and it was time to say goodnight! Our party ended about Midnight. Adam and I left in the helicopter and headed to Atlanta to officially begin our life as husband and wife!

Adam and I can not thank our family and friends enough for all they invested into our day. From the planning, set-up, take-down and celebrating, thank you for making our day so perfect in absolutely every way.

We had about 7 months of {somewhat stressful} wedding planning. Typically 7 months is probably enough time to get organized, plan and execute the perfect wedding, but our day was all DIY. Did we mention we invited over 400 guests? Yikes! Now you know why it was stressful!

Note: DIY- Do It Yourself

I had a love-hate relationship with Pinterest– so many ideas! In the beginning I wanted everything, but finally focused on a “Rustic Southern Chic” look. I couldn’t wait to delete my wedding planning Pinterest boards post wedding- ha! Thankfully I had the wonderful Melissa, my Wedding Planning Sidekick, around to help me stay on-track with one design plan and not go “Bridezilla” on everyone! Adam and I could not have pulled off our vision without her and her amazing team!

I grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia. It’s home to over 90 miles of Golf Cart Paths and we’re know for enjoying life at 15 miles per hour. When we were discussing a location Peachtree City was a must! Our town is unlike any other and having Golf Carts incorporated into our Wedding Day was something we had to have. Since we wanted a “Rustic Southern Chic” wedding, we looked at old barns and open fields, but none were golf cart accessible and I did not like the idea of having to take a chance on the weather with an outdoor wedding/reception. After getting location ideas from family and friends we found the Peachtree City Airport– it was the perfect location!

Adam works in aviation with Helicopters and I used to be a flight attendant, the airport tied in perfectly with our backgrounds. The airport has a huge open hanger that with a little bit of creativity we turned into the rustic southern chic location I had hoped for. We hung hundreds of lights. Wrapped pillars with burlap. Built bars out of pallet wood. Painted 400 Mason Jars with Chalk Paint. Adam and I went on countless Junk Yard Adventures to find antique windows, doors, whatever we could find! Oh the details!

Friday morning us ladies left the Hanger Set-Up Crew for my Bridal Brunch at the Swan House in Atlanta, hosted by my Mom and Aunt Tina. The perfect Brunch spot for a Southern lady and friends.

Later that evening, after setting up wedding day playlists and preparing for Saturday, we all met up for our rehearsal. It went quickly and smoothly and was exactly Adam and I’s personalities. Have you participated in a rehearsal that had Adult Beverages? Pretty sure everyone loved us for making an awkward situation {most of our friends met for the first time at the rehearsal} not so uncomfortable!

The Bridal Party, Family and Friends had such a great time at Mellow Mushroom for a very casual Rehearsal Supper hosted by Adam’s Parents. There were lots of “Toasts” and it wouldn’t have been a celebration without a Bride/Groom Shot!

With one last “Cheers” we went our separate ways to {try} get some sleep before our BIG DAY!